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Mabo Dofu (MapoTofu)

Last
weekend, we were supposed to go toThe
First Ramen Yokocho Festival in Torrance. We made it there
before the gates opened but the line was probably two miles long with hordes of
people still coming. It was breezy and all and was fine but the thought
that there are hundreds of people in front of you who will be served first
before you is not promising for people who haven't had a bite for breakfast. We
chickened and decided we’d go to the Lobster Festival instead. But we have a more urgent matter to attend to- our empty stomachs so we had to go to the nearest ramen house to have lunch.
Torrance and Gardena are ramen house havens but still it took a good hour
before we were seated at the one we chose. And then another ten to
fifteen minutes wait for our food maybe made me more ravenous that the Mabo Dofu
I ordered tasted like the best in this planet. Mabo Dofu is the Japanese version of Mapo Tofu which is a very popular Chinese dish
from the Schezuan province. Of course each place will have its own
version to fit their taste. While the original has a reddish sauce, this
one is gravy-like in color because of the difference in the ingredients. I just
thought and it tasted so comforting and delicious after that long walk from the
line to the parking lot. That’s
basically the reason why I had to make it at home. I was craving for it
so that's our dinner tonight.

My version has more ground meat which my best friend prefers but I prefer more silken tofu on mine. I think I'd make it with less meat next time.MABO DOFU (Mapo Tofu)Recipe adapted here

Ingredients:

2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil4 cloves garlic, minced2 tbsp ginger, minced1 lb lean ground pork2 pkg silken tofu, cut into cubes4 stems green onions, sliced thin2 tbsp doubanjiang with chili4 tbsp mirin2 tbsp miso2 tbsp oyster sauce2 tsp cornstarch1/2 cup waterMethod:In a large skillet, heat oil on medium high and saute garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the meat and break it up with a wooden spoonWhen the meat is cooked, add the sauce mixtureStir to combine then add the tofu. Cook until tofu is heated through. Try not to mash up the tofu too much. Stir in the green onions just before taking it off the heatServe with warm steamed rice